Travelin Man and Buffetbuster in Tampa

leethebard


Is that a pickle on that Cuban sandwich?

 
Or are you just glad to see me?

/me walks through the room wordlessly and sprays air freshener.

Buffetbuster  TBO had this article,  also when back down there in Lakeland , Florida Southern College has more Frank L Wright buildings in one place than anywhere.  Great roadfood also can be had there, in Lakeland.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/retail/article630025.ece
 

Curbside Grill-
I had no idea, thanks for the info.  Looks like another reason to go back!
 

BB & TTM

We visited La Teresita two years ago and were also confused by the double entrances.  We opted for the dining room version which was almost filled completely at lunch time.  Our meal consisited of several items including the Cuban.  I beleive we accidently over ordered and had food to go for the next part of our journey.

Bern's...we have had several failed attempts at this bad boy.  Bern's is one of the places that shows up in so many write-ups and I have been wanting to visit for so long.  We may make this happen in mid-April.

I have some work travel scheduled for April, but let me know when you are heading down this way.  It's a (relatively) short drive from here in Hooterville over to Tampa (surely shorter than coming to see you in Chicago!).

The Travelin Man


I have some work travel scheduled for April, but let me know when you are heading down this way.  It's a (relatively) short drive from here in Hooterville over to Tampa (surely shorter than coming to see you in Chicago!).

TTM
 
I like the sound of that...although, you're always welcome in Chicago also!

ChiTownDiner

The Travelin Man


I have some work travel scheduled for April, but let me know when you are heading down this way.  It's a (relatively) short drive from here in Hooterville over to Tampa (surely shorter than coming to see you in Chicago!).

TTM
 
I like the sound of that...although, you're always welcome in Chicago also!

What he means to say is, as long as you show up with gooey butter cakes!

ChiTownDiner


BB & TTM

I beleive we accidently over ordered

Do you really expect me to believe that it was an accident?

buffetbuster

ChiTownDiner

I like the sound of that...although, you're always welcome in Chicago also!

What he means to say is, as long as you show up with gooey butter cakes!

I have never been more welcomed anywhere than when I have shown up with gooey butter cake.

TTM  Haven't we seen Meagan several times before in your trips???

BB & TTM

Tampa will never bee the same - Bern's looked awesome and the reports of the food sounded great, I gots to get back down there.

What NO picture of the waitress from part two of La Teresita?

CajunKing


TTM  Haven't we seen Meagan several times before in your trips???

BB & TTM

Tampa will never bee the same - Bern's looked awesome and the reports of the food sounded great, I gots to get back down there.

What NO picture of the waitress from part two of La Teresita?

There is a Megan and a Meghan.  They have both accompanied me on several trips and may have appeared in a trip report.  Megan has developed an impressive "Roadfood" list of her own, to include Charlie the Butcher in Buffalo; Grimaldi's in Brooklyn; and now Bern's in Tampa (among others).  Meghan has also been to Grimaldi's, Plainville Farms in Cicero, NY; Carnegie Delicatessen in Manhattan;  Loveless Cafe in Nashvile; but, should best be known for road tripping with me from Nashville all the way to Lexington, TN to go to Hays Smokehouse, only to find out that Hays was no more.

And, as I mentioned in my own year-end thread, I was thinking of doing an "top servers" thread.  Had I done this, the young lady from La Teresita would have surely made the list!

buffetbuster

ChiTownDiner


BB & TTM

I beleive we accidently over ordered

Do you really expect me to believe that it was an accident?

Accidents can and will happen...I paid for mistakes...and then, at a later time, ate the evidence!

The Travelin Man

buffetbuster

ChiTownDiner

I like the sound of that...although, you're always welcome in Chicago also!

What he means to say is, as long as you show up with gooey butter cakes!

I have never been more welcomed anywhere than when I have shown up with gooey butter cake.

 
TTM, my friend, would be welcome anywhere...but the gooey butter cakes helped!

So now we've got a Megan, and a Meghan..
that can get confusing!

I realize now that MEGHAN was the one that we went to the Loveless Cafe with..

TTM-
Here is a story I forgot to tell you about on this trip.  When I was boarding my flight down to Tampa, I was wearing my Ole Miss long sleeve tee.  I sat next to a guy who told me his nephew plays for Ole Miss.  His name is Dexter McCluster and apparently, he had a huge day against the Gators on the day they beat them. 

On the flight home, I see the same guy getting on the plane and say, "Dexter McCluster".  He laughs and sits beside me again.  He was a really nice guy, who was obviously very proud on his nephew.

When I was watching the Ole Miss/Texas Tech game, I paid attention and the kid is a stud!  There is no doubt that he will be playing on Sundays.

Epilogue - and one recent visit to the Tampa area...again.

I realized that I didn't post any comments on the food from the Jerk Hut.  This meal was essentially just eating leftovers - though, the whole thing was left over.  You never know if you can get an accurate reflection of the "true experience" after your meal has sat refrigerated in a Styrofoam box for two days.  I found the chicken to be exceptionally well done - just the right amount of spice.  I find jerk spicing to be a little kicked (hot) with enough sweet, as well.  It is a really unique flavor and one that I surely enjoy.  As BB mentioned, they also provided us with extra sauce - my local Jamaican place does this, as well, for people that they know like a little extra spice.  This sauce was every bit as good as my local place - which is my benchmark for success.  I always think that this stuff would make a great marinade - but, I never have any leftover, and always forget to ask for/pay for? extras.  I found the mac and cheese to hold up surprisingly well, and enjoyed what I ate after a reheating in the oven.  All in all, I would strongly consider going back to the Jerk Hut for a full meal when in the Tampa area again.

Yesterday, I made the trip over to St. Petersburg Beach, as our basketball teams were playing out that way again.  It was a good thing that we found a suitable lunch option, because the sports action left little to satisfy me.  We arrived an hour or so before the first game, and were a little hungry.  We poked up towards US-19 and found few deserving options (we were thisclose to punting and hitting a Beef O'Brady's just to grab something).  Off to the side, I saw this funky little building with a giant hen standing outside the door.  The place advertised breakfast and lunch specials - and as we got closer, we also saw that the whole restaurant appears to be decorated in a pig and chicken motif.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, but I will be back to Skyway Jack's to further explore this funky little joint.

This is the quintessential southern diner.  They only serve breakfast and lunch, only accept cash, and the waitresses are straight out of central casting.  After ordering our food, all I could do was look around the place and think that my roadfood Spidey senses did me right - but, I still wanted to taste the food to claim victory.  The one other thing that I felt swung the pendulum in my favor - at 1 pm on a Saturday, the place had a goodly number of patrons.

Service was not quick - took a little while for us to get greeted, took a little longer to get the ordered drinks (two unsweetened teas and a lemonade), and a little while longer to get the food order taken - but, it sure looked like our server was hopping the whole time - this wasn't the result of an extended smoke break.

The food arrived relatively quickly (but, I was still watching the clock - not wanting to miss tip-off!), and we quickly knew that we had a winner on our hands.  Both of my friends ordered the seafood and chedder omelettes.  I saw hearty omelettes stuffed with crab meat and baby shrimp.  I believe that they were also covered with hollandaise sauce.  Accompanying each of the meals were breakfast potatoes (home fries, to be sure - the other option was grits) and one had a freshly made biscuit and one had an in-house made corn muffin.  They raved about their choices.

I tried to go somewhat simple.  I ordered the two egg breakfast (with potatoes and biscuit) and a short stack of banana pancakes.  The eggs were cooked perfectly, and the banana pancakes were really good (doused with butter, they almost didn't need any syrup).  The biscuit was hearty and filling, with a true "southern" taste.  The best thing on the plate, though, were the phenomenal potatoes.  Mine were a little more well-done than my friends (I did not ask - just worked out that way) - and they had the most incredible savory taste.  I could have just ordered these and been perfectly content for the rest of the afternoon.

One small ding that was quickly remedied - they serve that awful Country Crock crap with their meals.  However, they did provide real butter with no upcharge upon request.  Fair enough.

There was a large sign advertising mid-week $2.29 breakfast specials that seemed like an awfully good deal based on the food I had in front of me.  I was most definitely be checking this place out again - and will hope to report back with photos.

TTM-
Skyway Jack's sounds like a great find.  Is it near the bridge?  1pm and all three of you ordered breakfast?  Since lunch is my favorite meal, I would have gotten something from that side of the menu.